Chamber Business Expo brings many businesses, tornado concerns
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Saline County Chamber of Commerce Business Expo brought about 60 businesses into the SIC Foundation Center to win over potential customers.
Between browsers and vendors, the parking lot had few spots available early in the evening. For the chamber that is a good problem to have.
"The chamber is very excited about how this came together. This year, in fact, businesses were calling us wanting to participate," Chamber Executive Director Lori Cox said.
Most banks and health care businesses were represented at the expo along with several small businesses in the realms of photography, maid services, sewing services.
The Feb. 29 tornado set the tone for several booths.
Rhonda Belford of Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford's Office was helping people see if they were owed any money being held by the treasurer's office and was promoting loans through the state's Disaster Recovery Program.
Ike Honda was selling raffle tickets for a 2012 Honda Civic LX. The business is in partnership with Black Diamond Harley-Davidson that is selling tickets for a Harley-Davidson Superlow. The goal is raise $50,000 in 50 days, according to spokeswoman Michelle Laird. The money will go to storm victims found through working with the chamber, Harrisburg Rotary, Kiwanis, Harrisburg Ministerial Alliance and mayors of Harrisburg and Ridgway, Lori Sisulak, general manager of Ike Honda said. The drawing is May 12 at Black Diamond.
On Your Own Emergency Survival Kits is a business out of Carbondale that assembles kits of many items that can be of use in the case of a disaster.
Identity theft has been a topic of discussion since the storm with the possibility of personal information being lost.
One business called Identity Theft Shield offering services.
M & S Implements and Ariens Company used the expo as an opportunity to present the city of Harrisburg with a Gravely Truck Loader that uses a strong vacuum to suck up small debris, chop it up and blow it into a truck bed.
Brian Beck, Ariens Company district sales manager, said the $4,500 machine will be of benefit for tornado clean up and may be used in the future for cleaning ditches. Harrisburg City Council Member John McPeek represented the city in receiving the donation.